100 percent of contributions will be paid directly to families and survivors of 1 October tragedy

LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund (“LVVF”) announced today that donors from the Las Vegas community and around the world contributed more than $31.4 million in support of the families of the deceased and survivors of 1 October. The LVVF will begin distribution of funds on March 5 to assist those most severely physically-impacted by 1 October.

In an amazing demonstration of generosity and support, more than 90,000 donors – locally, nationally and internationally –contributed more than $31.4 million to the LVVF. Of the total amount contributed, almost 40 percent came from the Southern Nevada gaming, tourism and entertainment industry, including $5.2 million from the Vegas Strong Fund (a fund established and principally funded by Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming and Red Rock Resorts) and $4 million from MGM Resorts. Contributions from individuals ranged from $1 to almost $400,000. Other examples of generosity included the students, faculty and staff of Green Valley High School raising over $66,000 through T-shirt sales, Allegiant Air’s employees and executive management team contributing more than $362,000 through the contribution of paid leave and matching funds, Zappos matching contributions of over $1 million, and the Vegas Strong benefit concert at T-Mobile Arena raising nearly $700,000.The total amount contributed to the LVVF includes contributions made to other funds, such as the GoFundMe account started by County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak and Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, the Direct Impact Fund and the National Compassion Fund, which were all merged into the LVVF.

Also, the Las Vegas Victims’ Fund Committee (the “Committee”) announced today approval by the LVVF Board of a plan for the allocation of the donated funds (a copy of which is attached to this press release). The plan allocates the $31.4 million among 532* claimants in the categories identified in the Final Protocol, which can be found at the LVVF’s website at https://lasvegasvictimsfund.org. The rolling distribution of the funds will begin on March 5 and be will be completed by the end of the month. Please check the LVVF website for updates on the distribution of funds.

The Committee, which is comprised of victim advocates, mental health and medical professionals, lawyers, major donors, and other compassionate citizens, none of whom received compensation for their efforts, held two town hall meetings to listen to those impacted by 1 October and met nine times to develop the Final Protocol and approve the allocation plan. The Committee also reviewed more than 1,600 email and written comments and received advice from national experts, including victim compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg and the National Center for Victims of Crime.*The total number of claimants is subject to the final verification by the Fund Administrators of certain outpatient applications

“The love and support shown for the families and survivors of the 1 October tragedy was tremendous,” said Scott Nielson, chairman of the Committee. “We recognize, however, that money cannot replace a life lost or forever changed due to this tragic event. What the Committee worked hard to do was distribute the gifts given by tens of thousands of people in a way that would help those families and survivors most severely impacted by 1 October.”

The number of claimants receiving funds from the LVVF will be more than double the number of people who received distributions from either the OneOrlando Fund (259) or The One Fund Boston (232).

Victims of 1 October please note that the LVVF is separate from the Nevada Victims of Crime Program. Funds may be available through the Nevada Victims of Crime Program to help victims offset the financial burden of funeral, medical, mental health and other expenses related to the shooting. For more information about the Nevada Victims of Crime Program, please go to: http://voc.nv.gov/VOC/VOC_Home/. Contact information for state crime victim compensation and assistance is available at https://www.ovc.gov/map.html.

Those impacted by 1 October may also access resources and assistance at the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, located at the Lied Building, 2nd Floor, 1524 Pinto Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89106 or accessed through the following website: vegasstrongrc.org.

Together our community is #VegasStrong as we support those affected by 1 October.

The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund (“LVVF”) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation which was created to oversee the consolidation and distribution of funds contributed in response to the shootings at the site of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 1, 2017 (“1 October”). One hundred percent of the funds contributed to and distributed by the LVVF will go directly to the families of the decedents and the victims of 1 October. The LVVF is overseen by a committee consisting of 17 individuals representing the Las Vegas community. The committee includes representatives from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Clark County, major donors to the LVVF, UNLV, Catholic Charities, victims’ advocates, mental health professionals, lawyers, the resort industry and charitable organizations, among others. All officers, directors and committee members serve without compensation and all services necessary for the operation of the LVVF will be contributed free of charge. The committee is being assisted by The Feinberg Group and the National Center for Victims of Crime to adopt the protocol pursuant to which claims can made, prioritized, processed and funds distributed. The LVVF’s mission is to distribute the funds that have been, and will be, contributed to assist the victims of 1 October in a transparent, equitable and expeditious manner.

The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund Committee and the Las Vegas Community thank you for your generous contributions to the Las Vegas Victims’ Fund.

Donations to this fund will not be accepted after February 28, 2018 so that the Las Vegas Victims’ Fund (LVVF) Committee can collect all final contributions and begin making distributions to victims in early March, according to the Protocol adopted by the LVVF Committee. Further details and the Protocol can be found on this website: Protocols

If you would like to be part of the ongoing healing and rebuilding efforts in our community, please consider supporting one of the following charities:

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation – provides funding for advanced officer and reality-based training, post 10/1 trauma counseling for officers and other First Responders, technology and equipment for LVMPD, community safety programs, scholarships for the children of officers and a scholarship fund for the children of Officer Charleston Hartfield:

Several organizations dedicated to fee-only financial advice have come together to offer pro bono services to October 1 survivors and families.
This is free objective advice on how to manage payouts from the Las Vegas Victims’ Fund or any other source.
More information about this project and how to connect with a financial advisor can be found here: http://www.lvsurvivors.org/.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund, Inc. is a Nevada non-profit corporation established to oversee the consolidation and distribution of the funds contributed through the generosity of businesses, foundations and thousands of individual donors from around the world in response to the shootings at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on October 1, 2017 (“1 October”). The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Services as 501(c)(3) charitable organization so that all donations to the Las Vegas Victim’s Fund are tax deductible.

Our mission is to coordinate and distribute charitable contributions to the families or representatives of decedents and victims of 1 October in a fair, transparent, expedient and responsible way, and to provide information concerning resources available to help anyone emotionally impacted by this tragic event.

While we know financial gifts cannot erase the traumatic impacts of this tragedy, we hope such gifts can be a symbol of the love and support shared by thousands around the world, and help the victims and their families in some way.

This website will be a critical resource for this effort, and will be the home of the final protocol governing the distribution of the funds, a portal to submit public comment on the draft protocol, the location of the forms necessary to file a claim, and a link for information and assistance in completing those forms. Additionally, this site will provide contacts to resources available to assist the thousands of people who were emotionally impacted by 1 October.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund Committee

The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund (“LVVF”) is a Nevada non-profit corporation which was created to oversee the consolidation and distribution of funds contributed in response to the shootings at the site of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 1, 2017 (“1 October”). One hundred percent of the funds contributed to and distributed by the LVVF will go directly to the families of the decedents and the victims of 1 October. The LVVF is overseen by a committee consisting of 17 individuals representing the Las Vegas community. The committee includes representatives from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, major donors to the LVVF, Catholic Charities, victims’ advocates, mental health professionals, lawyers, the resort industry and charitable organizations, among others. All officers, directors and committee members will serve without compensation and all services necessary for the operation of the LVVF will be contributed free of charge. The committee is being assisted by The Feinberg Group and the National Compassion Fund to adopt the draft protocol pursuant to which claims can made, prioritized, processed and funds distributed. The LVVF’s mission is to quickly, efficiently and fairly distribute the funds that have been, and will be, contributed to assist the victims of 1 October. Once the specific purposes for which the LVVF was created been accomplished and the fund has been audits, the committee will be dissolved.